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• Board Meeting Date: 3/18/2008
• Description: IWMD Section - Presentation of Agricultural Water Conservation Paper
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Section 7
Future Considerations
The following points are considerations related to the implementation of agricultural
water conservation and efficiency measures. These are presented by the Colorado Ag
Water Alliance as a starting point for fur they dialog. It is important to note that any
successful implementation of these measures is only one component in meeting
Colorado's future water needs. The better use of existing surface and groundwater
storage resources and the development of new storage to meet future demands and
for drought years will also be required to meet both existing agricultural shortages
and future M&I demands.
1. Each agricultural operation and basin is unique and has unique water
management considerations. As such, thoughtful consideration should be made of
the effects of implementing agricultural water conservation measures, either at the
farm scale or basin-wide scale.
2. Incentives for on-farm implementation of conservation measures should be
considered and evaluated in the context of compacts and basin hydrology.
3. Incentives for landowner control of phreatophytes, given salvaged water
limitations, should be developed.
4. To help create incentives for implementing water conservation measures, the cost
of water conservation measures should be borne by the beneficiaries of the
conserved water. The agricultural user is unlikely and/or unable to bear the costs
if the benefits only accrue to improved stream flow, water quality, or the basin as
a whole.
5. It must be recognized that if irrigation water conservation measures are
implemented, in some areas there will be a periodic need for salinity leaching to
maintain productivity.
6. There is a need for clearer statutory definitions of saved, salvaged, and conserved
water.
7. There is an opportunity for statutory clarification of the legality to transfer
conserved CU water.
8. If legislation is enacted, the state will need to develop administrative means to
hack and allocate conserved water and ensure compliance.
9. There is a need for irrigation water conservation demonstration and pilot projects
in each basin.
10. There is a need for a more thorough analysis of the impact of widespread
adoption of sprinkler and drip irrigation systems in Colorado.
DRAFT 7-1